1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a motion image processing apparatus and method.
2. Related Art
Files, and even individual frames, of motion image data, e.g., video image data output from a video camera, typically contain a great deal of information. Systems for digitizing motion image data, compressing it based on the MPEG method or the Motion JPEG method and storing it on a storage medium, e.g., a hard disk, are commercially available, as are supervision cameras and television conference systems that transmit image data to remote locations through a network in order to display an image.
In storing motion image data from a video camera into a storage medium, e.g., a hard disk, consecutive image data (by which term is meant image data of plural consecutive frames) is stored as a single file.
Alternatively, image data of each frame is stored as a respective single file.
However, when a body of consecutive image data is stored as a single file, the size of the file is typically huge. Therefore, it is very difficult to handle the file, for example to search for a desired frame in the file, or to edit a desired part of the file.
Generally, while the file apparatus is storing given motion image data, the file apparatus cannot read previously-stored image data unless the apparatus interrupts or terminates the storing operation. Therefore, in order to display a current image which is in the process of being stored in the file apparatus and simultaneously to display an image which has been already stored in the file, it is necessary to provide two display apparatuses, with the associated display driving circuitry and software for them. One of the display apparatuses serves for displaying an image that is being stored currently, while the other is a display for displaying an image that has already been stored. Of course, it is not easy for the operator of such a set of two display apparatuses to use them independent of each other. Furthermore, it is conventionally impossible to browse (synthesize) an image from the image data that was already stored before, into the image that is in the process of being stored currently.
Where each frame is stored as a single file in a file apparatus, on the other hand, the result is too many files for a file apparatus to search or edit. In addition, only some limited number of files can be handled by a file apparatus in the first place.